ZEUS Iceborn Chiller Review: A Vaporization Game Changer?

Although I’m a huge fan of vaping cannabis, one issue that people (myself included) tend to experience is that vapor can be quite hot and dry, especially if you use a vape which has a short airpath (such as a portable model). For this reason, many vape manufacturers offer water tool adapters, and I’ve written a few articles on my experience with using them in the past. Although bongs can help to ameliorate the situation somewhat, I still find vapor passing through them to still be a little hot, and this can be a drawback for medical marijuana patients who may find vapor too harsh for their condition. Recently, I’ve tried out the ZEUS Iceborn. ZEUS claims that prior to the creation of the Iceborn,

All other previous attempts to cool vapor and eliminate coughing & throat irritation caused by hot vapor have been with water filtration systems. Water filtration is inferior to ice filtration for the following reasons:

Essential oils are lost in the water, making them inefficient

The clouds are less dense

Bongs are messy, fragile and high maintenance.

Another bonus? Vapour cooled through the ZEUS Iceborn is virtually ouderless!

After agreeing to write a review here on VaporBlog, a brand new Iceborn arrived on my doorstep only a few days ago and I didn’t hesitate in trying it out! Before starting the review, I’d also like to mention that according to Toronto Vaporizer “the Iceborn is compatible with any vaporizer that has a 6.5mm to 11mm diameter mouthpiece (essentially any unit that you can connect a whip to the mouthpiece). Therefore it not compatible with the: PUFFiT, PUFFiT X, V2 Pro 7 Series, V2 Pro 3 Series or Prima Vaporizer.” Although the Pax 2 isn’t mentioned as being incompatible, you’ll need to pickup a watertool adapter if you’d like to use the Iceborn with your Pax 2!

Aside from the unit itself, the Iceborn also comes with an instruction manual, mouthpiece, and three silicone whips which are covered with mesh for increased durability. Once I removed the Iceborn from the packaging, the first thing I did was a quick visual and tactile inspection of the unit to assess its build quality. The base of the Iceborn appears to be made from a sturdy plastic, and the vapor path is alumnium. Moreover, there’s a tray which sits on the bottom of the Iceborn which is designed to capture condensation dripping off the unit in order to keep your tables dry and this is definitely a nice touch! The design of the unit makes it quite easy to clean, and you can soak it in isopropyl alcohol and then rinse it off in order to clean it. I recommend cleaning the unit on a regular basis as the cold air pathway makes vapor condense and stick to the aluminum at a regular pace. Although the Iceborn claims to be ‘virtually odorless’, I definitely noticed the usual aroma of fresh cannabis while I was vaping, so I don’t recommend it if you’re trying to minimize smell rather than cool down vapor.

Prior to using the Iceborn, you’ll need to unscrew the top, fill the Iceborn base with water, reattach the top, and then place it in the freezer overnight in order to let it freeze up. After giving the unit enough time to cool down, I removed it and installed the silicone whips to the top connection slots. I then attached one end to the whip of my Extreme Q desktop vaporizer and the other to the Iceborn mouthpiece. I don’t consider the unit to be very portable due to the ice and multiple tubing connections needed, but on a desk it works great. Not long after loading up a bowl of Platinum OG, I began to take slow, smooth draws from the whip and immediately noticed that the vapor I was inhaling was much cooler on my throat than normal! Usually I run my Extreme Q at 192C when using a whip, as I find setting it high results in coughing due to warmer vapor hitting my throat. However, since the Iceborn cools the vapor down significantly, I’m able to run comfortably at higher temperatures which allows me to achieve different effects depending on the temperature (see my article here for more information on vaping temps and effects!). Surprisingly, I didn’t find the Iceborn to restrict airflow much, and so it was easy to take large hits when I wanted to!

I also tested the Iceborn with my trusty Arizer Air in order to see how the Iceborn performs with a portable vape. Since the Air has a shorter air path than the Extreme Q, I find that it can be quite harsh on the higher settings. Setting the Air to the second highest (190C) setting, I unscrewed the plastic section of the Air’s mouthpiece and replaced it with the silicone tubing. Taking long, slow, draws, I was able to obtain some tasty hits of vapor which were much smoother than normal! In my experience, the ice inside the unit stays cool long enough to have two sessions (spaced a few hours apart) before you need to freeze it again, but this is highly dependent on the ambient temperature. I have only tested room temperature so far, but in the summer I also plan to try it out on my balcony during a hot summer day to see how long the ice takes to melt then.

As a whole, the Iceborn is a great device which serves its intended purpose well, and I must admit that I was surprised it works as well as it does. When using the Iceborn, my vapor is much cooler and the effect is especially pronounced on vapes which have a short airpath. Furthermore, not only was I able to take cooler hits, but also larger hits at higher temperatures. I highly recommend picking up the Iceborn if you mainly vape at home and are looking for something to significantly cool down your vapor with!